Naruto General Guide - General Information About The Series

What is Naruto?
Naruto is a Japanese anime and manga series, created by Masashi Kishimoto. It was first published as a manga, in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, in November, 1999. Since then, it has gone on to be one of the most successful and popular manga series in Japan and around the world.

An anime adaptation of the series has also been made, first debuting on TV Tokyo, on October 3, 2002. A total of 220 episodes were made (though many of them were fillers).

The anime series was hugely popular and enjoyed a lot of success in Japan, and a new series, entitled "Naruto Shippuden", has since been created, and is still ongoing. The anime follows the storyline of the manga, which is still being produced by Masashi Kishimoto.

Chakra
Chakra is energy extracted from cells that Ninja's need to be able to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, to use them correctly the Ninja needs to mix their Chakra with their spiritual energy then use special Hand Seals to activate the technique that they want to use.

Countries in Naruto
In the world of Naruto, countries operate as separate political entities ruled by landlords. Within these countries are hidden villages, settlements housing ninja. A hidden village maintains the economy of the parent country by training ninja from a young age and using them to perform missions for other countries. The ninja of a hidden village also serve as the military force of their parent country. The leaders of the hidden villages hold equal status with the leaders of their respective countries. Five countries in the Naruto world are known as the "Five Great Shinobi Nations". These countries are the most powerful in the Naruto world. They are ruled by a feudal lord and the leaders of the hidden villages in these countries hold the title of Kage.